People I Know is presented as a thriller, and the trailer I saw for it makes it look like a pretty gripping one, at that. I took that as an indication that I'd be seeing an intelligent, well-plotted film. Unfortunately, the truth is that People I Know is a muddled piece that doesn't go anywhere for the simple reason that it really doesn't know where it's trying to go.

The film opens by introducing us to run-down publicist Eli Wurman (Al Pacino), who is desperately trying to get stars to attend a benefit production he's arranging. When Eli's only client arm-twists him into bailing out a trouble-prone starlet and getting her safely home, things start getting weird. The starlet (Tea Leoni) is quite a druggie, and drags Eli into a strange, almost surreal, and ultimately dangerous experience.

At the beginning, People I Know sets up several possible avenues that it could explore in an intriguing manner. At the beginning, it seems very much like Eli is recruiting guests for a non-existent benefit, as if he has really gone over the edge and is desperately trying to re-create the old days in which he was a mover and a shaker. (After seeing the whole film, it seems that this intriguing first impression must have been entirely accidental, as it's completely off base. Too bad.) A little later, it seems like the story could pick up on the thriller angle: what did the starlet see, and why is it dangerous? What will Eli do now that he's tangled in the situation? But the film doesn't immediately pick up on that, choosing instead to linger on Eli's general self-pitying and self-destructive state. OK, he's a real mess: we got that already. At this point, a good third of the way into the film, it becomes clear that People I Know is ignoring all of the potentially interesting aspects of the film, and just muddling through the story.

In the commentary track, director Dan Algrant admits that the plot is confusing and doesn't really add up; it was his idea to diminish the attention paid to the plot in order to focus more on the character of Eli. Apparently it didn't occur to him that storytelling is not a zero-sum game; it's entirely possible to have a well-plotted story and interesting character development at the same time.

So it's clear that the plot of People I Know is pretty much a complete wash. That leaves us with the characterization of Eli. Is that enough to make the movie work? Not by a long shot. Eli is introduced to us as a complete wreck, at the tail end of his professional career and at the end of his rope physically and emotionally, in large part because he's usually strung out on drugs. Al Pacino gives us a wild-eyed, desperate performance as Eli, mumbling and shuffling his way through the scenes and constantly seeming on the verge of collapse, but the effect is not dramatic or tragic, merely rather pathetic. It doesn't help in this respect that Pacino is playing well within the boundaries of his acting ability; how many similar roles have we seen him in, as a rough-voiced, run-down man? Too many, by my count; Pacino is an actor I've always liked and respected, but at this point I'd like to see him doing something a little different.

In any case, since we start with Eli pretty much at the bottom of the barrel, there's really nowhere to go with the character. We don't get a very good sense of his past, or what has brought him to this state; a few hints are given that he used to be a big shot and that his days of glory are long past, but that's about it. Pacino's Eli is so strung-out, so mentally and physically destroyed, that his attempts to remember what happened during the crucial night are not compelling at all; we lose patience with him almost immediately.

In the end, I think the overall effect of People I Know can be summed up in the closing shot of the film. After showing what happens to Eli, the camera moves out to a wider view of his apartment, then rotates around to show us the same view upside down, before pulling out to a progressively wider upside-down view. The shot simply drips pretentiousness ("Look how clever we are, to turn the world upside down and close with an abstract image!") while neither relating much to the rest of the film nor wrapping it up in any visually meaningful way.

The DVD

Video

People I Know has an anamorphic widescreen transfer, at the film's correct aspect ratio of 1.85:1, but it's still only a notch above average. The image is fairly grainy, without a whole lot of sharp detail; edge enhancement is distinctly present, and the contrast is too heavy in many scenes, rendering them excessively dark. It's a watchable transfer, but not particularly impressive.

Audio

Although it's not listed on the DVD case, People I Know has a DTS 5.1 soundtrack as well as a Dolby 5.1 track. Both offer a solid listening experience for a film that's mainly dialogue-based; the DTS has a bit more spatial separation and sounds a bit crisper, but overall they're both about the same.

Extras

Director Dan Algrant provides a commentary track for the film, with a few interesting comments interspersed with descriptions of what's going on. Two deleted scenes are also included, totaling about five minutes; an optional commentary track is provided for those as well. We also get a set of trailers for other Miramax films on DVD.

Final thoughts

People I Know may have stars in its cast, but it's a dud nonetheless. Al Pacino shuffles around looking scruffy and drugged-out, following a script that goes pretty much nowhere. The film clocks in at under two hours, but feels like much more; with a muddled plot and uninteresting characters like this, you'll find yourself checking your watch to see if the film is close to being over yet. Skip it.